Non-skid attachment for tires.



F. WENGRA F. NON-SKID ATTACHMENT FOR TTRES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25. I916.

Patented. Oct. 16, 1917.

M A W a a M WITNESSES.

FREDERICK WENGRAF, 0F NAUGATUGK, CONNECTICUT.

NON-SKID ATTACHMENT FOR TIRES..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, i911 Application filed April 25, 1916. Serial No. 93,529.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK WENGRAF,

a subject of the Emperor of Austria, resid-' ing at Naugatuck, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Non- Skid Attachments for Tires, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to nonments for tires.

An object of the invention is to provide a non-skid attachment for tires made up. of a plurality of independent elements wherein each nonskid' element may be quickly attached or detached without disturbing the other non-skid elements.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described wherein the attachment or detachment of the individual non-skid elements may be readily made without the use of tools.

A further object of the invention is to corn struct the non-skid elements of independently detachable and replaceable members.

Further objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination, location and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a segment of a tire structure with a non-skid attachment embodying my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a single assembled non-skid element.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, of the structure shown in Fig. 2, the parts being in position for normal use.

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of I an approximate half portion of the non-skid elemerit shown in the other figures, showing the individual members thereof disassembled.

The same part is designated bythe same reference numeral wherever it occurs throughout the several views.

Various types of non-skid attachments are being employed in the motor vehicle art, the more common form being chains comprising a side portion on each side of the tire,

and tread portions connected at each end to the respective side portions and extending over the tread surface of the tire at desired.

kid attach portions of the attachment become worn through, thereby necess'tating replacement. In the case of chains, new links must be supplied, and specially constructed tools are employed for this purpose. The operation of disconnecting the worn out portion of the chain and connecting the new links is a long and tedious one, and one which due to the labor and time required, is seldom attempted on the road, but is rather done at the end of the trip, when the vehicle is laid up, for the time being. On the other hand, the worn out portion of the chain is sharp, is apt to cut the tire, or puncture the same, besides causing rattle when upon the rotation of the wheel it comes in contact with the mud guard or other portion of-the vehicle body in addition to the injury caused thereto by repeated impact.

It is among the special purposes of my present invention to obviate these difficulties by employing quickly attachable and detachable tread portions of the non-skid attachment, any member of which tread portion may be individually replaced with little labor, without the use of tools, and in a very shorttime.

In the drawings, reference numeral 1 designates a portion of a tire structure, on each side of extend the base portions 2 of the non-skid attachment. The base portions may be of any desired type or material. I haveshown them, however, for illustrative purposes, to

consist of a number of links or rods provided with a hook or loop portion 3 at each end thereof to engage a slot/l of a member 5, extending atright angles to the rods 2, and which member 5 terminates atits upper end in a hook 6, the mouth or opening of which is closed by the spring 7 in the usual manner. A tread plate 8, preferably curved tofit the contour of the tire, is provided at its respective ends with slots 9. The tread plate 8 may be of any desired shape or material, and may be provided with corrugations, knobs or the like 10, to form a non-skid hearing surface. In practice I prefer to form the tread plate of suitable metal. Plate or fiat link members ll, preferably of metal, and curved to fit the contour of the tire structure are of such size as to permit one end and the body of the same to pass through the slot 9 of the tread plate.v The member 11, is provided with a slot 12, at one intervals. It is well known that the tread which, and at the base thereof,

end thereof, and a lug or projecting portion 13 of such size that it is incapable of passing through the slot 9, of the tread plate. Similarly connecting portions 14, of any suitable or desired shape or material, preferably of metal, and likewise curved to fit the contour of the tire structure, are adapted to pass through the slot 12, of the member 11, and are provided at one end with a hole 15 and at the other end with a lug or projecting portion 16, which is incapable of passing through the slot 12 of member 11.

The tread element, comprising the tread plate 8, the members 11,14, are assembled, as above outlined, and as shown in Fig. 2, and are connected to the side or base portions 2 of the non-skid attachment, by means of the hooks 6, which engage the holes 15 of the members 14, as shown best in Fig. 3.

It will be seen that there is relative movement of all of the members of the tread element due to their loose connection with each other, and that by merely unhooln'ng the members 14: from the hooks 6, the entire tread element may be removed, and a complete new tread element may be attached. The various members of the tread elements may be made in standard forms, and any member which may be worn out, broken or otherwise damaged, may be replaced in a very short amount of time.

It will be understood that modifications. of my invention will readily occur tq those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the claims. Therefore, what I claim as new and useful and of my own invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a non-skid attachment for tires, side portions adapted to extend along the side of the tire on each side thereof, a non-skid plate provided with slots at its respective ends, side members, each provided with a perforation at one end and a laterally extending lug at the other end of greater width than the width of the slots of said plate, and adapted to be inserted in and passed through the respective slots of said plate, perforated end foremost, to place said lug in engagement with said plate, and means to detachably connect the perforated end of said members to said side portions.

2. In a non-skid attachment for tires, side portions adapted to extend along the side of the tire on each side thereof, a non-skid plate provided with slots at its respective ends, side members for securing said plate to said side portions, said members comprising achain of plates of decreasing size, each provided with a perforation and a laterally extending lug at its respective ends, said lug being of greater width than the width of the perforation of the next larger plate whereby each plate may be inserted, perforated end foremost, through the perforation of the next larger plate substantially as, and for the purpose described.

ln-testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 20th day of April, A. D., 1916.

FREDERICK WENGRAF.

@opiee of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Eatenta,

Washington, 11 G. 

